TRP: Hansel, Goro, and Mishka (Cardplay)
Lina: at 7:53 PM The Sugar Glider, late at night. So damn stuffy below decks, and being holed up in his room reminds Goro too much of the days following Diva's forty-two seconds. Surely Mishka's locked himself up for the night, anyway. The guy's had a rough day. Goro climbs the stairs to the main deck. Steps outside and immediately makes eye contact with Mishka. Slowly takes a step back down. Coyote: at 8:00 PM Mishka is sitting idly at a small table on the deck. The back of his neck keeps prickling, and everything feels too sharp, too real. He can't let go of the fact that he can actually move now. Can actually breathe and feel things properly. He sticks around Hansel. Hansel is fine. It'll be fine. He keeps trying to distract himself with bullshit. Every second he keeps thinking about that thing inside his body; keeps thinking this is just another vision Diva is showing him, and he's going to wake up any second now, any second, and realize he's still possessed. Has she gotten that fucking cruel? No. She had always been that cruel. Would she think to do that, though? Would she realize how much that would torture him, letting him think he was free and then yanking it away again? Breathe. And then there's quiet footsteps moving up the stairs. Mishka tenses automatically, watching from the corner of his eyes without watching directly. It sounds like someone moving stealthily automatically, someone who is quiet as sort've a second nature, a thief. Maybe it's Larkin Basha. And then Goro steps on deck instead. He looks-- a little on edge, too. But okay. And Mishka leaned back in his chair and thought: Ah. A distraction. This would be fun for a few minutes. Silently beneath the table, he clenched his hand. Reaching out and clenching a hold over Goro's mind. This, he realized immediately, might be a mistake. Maybe. Goro might be upset at him later. He thought it'd be funny, but in retrospect, y'know, maybe Goro wouldn't appreciate being mind-controlled right now. Oh well. The spell grasped hold. Mishka put a little extra effort into it, pushing calm emotions through it, making Goro feel placid. "Hey," Mishka said. "Go get my mask and give it to me. Wherever it is. Fucker." Lina: at 8:10 PM Yeah. Yeah, that seems like a really good idea. Goro turns around and goes back below deck, intent on getting the mask. He's feeling a little sleepy, but determined, as he unlocks his door, goes to the drawer where he has the mask stashed, and rifles through until he finds it. Walks back upstairs, heads straight to Mishka, and holds the mask out. Izzy: at 8:12 PM Hansel kicks Mishka under the table. Gently. And snatches the mask from Goro before he can take it. "Mishka, leave him alone, for fuck's sake. The fucking demon was in his head too."(edited) Coyote: at 8:16 PM Mishka winces, immediately guilty. Fuck. He hadn't thought about that. Man, his head is still so messed up. Can't think straight. Should've fucking thought of... fuck. His fingers itch to just snap and make him vanish. Maybe not necessarily away-- but invisible, maybe, that might make him feel better. But he doesn't. It's fine. Breathe. He counted: seven seconds breathing in, seven seconds breathing out. That's what Joan-- that's what Ripley said to do. Counting breaths. He keeps calm, though, not outwardly showing any of it. He smiles guilty and lets go. "Sorry," he says, honestly. God damn it. Now he has to... get the mask back from Hansel. (Was that even possible?) Lina: at 8:23 PM Goro stumbles back, feeling like he's waking up from a dream. Nightmare, more like. His skin prickles and his hair stands on end, and he can't take a full breath in. He looks between Mishka and Hansel, two people he'd rather not lose his shit in front of. He's shaking already but if he walks fast, eh, they won't notice. "Fuck off," he tells Mishka, and turns to march for the stairs. Izzy: at 8:23 PM Hansel snorts, looking down at his card. "You deserve that." Lina: at 8:25 PM "I know," Goro snaps over his shoulder, teeth clenched. Izzy: at 8:26 PM "Not you, dipshit," Hansel calls. Coyote: at 8:33 PM Mishka chokes out a laugh. God, he's fucking missed Hansel. He still feels like he can't breathe, but it's easier now. "Hey, hey, hey," he calls out. "Come back here. Come play cards with us. I have things to tell you. Riveting information. Look, I'm sorry I'm a jackass, I just wasn't thinking." He's fine. He definitely sounds fine; he's making jokes, which means he's good, he's sane, he's okay, he's fine, it's fine. He's used to this. Goro still has eighteen seconds left; someone said that, someone told him, but he's so scattered he can't remember who. Mishka flickers rapidly through contingency plans: he still has almost all his magic. Teleport spell if something goes wrong. Dominate person still works on people even if they're possessed, he thinks. Hansel's right there. Dagger in his boot, rapier at his side. Jade necklace. He's fine. It's fine. There's no larvae on the ship, he checked, he asked. "Hansel cheats," Mishka says. "Come help me watch him." Izzy: at 8:34 PM "We both cheat," Hansel says solemnly. Lina: at 8:41 PM Goro stops on the top step. He crosses his arms tight, turns halfway around, and gives Mishka a withering stare. That's what Amari called it. You're going to make my flowers wither if you keep going around with that look on your face. But she always smiled when she said it. Eighteen seconds. He isn't armed. He sewed his fucking pockets shut. Right now he's fighting the urge to double-check that. It would be obscenely irrational to check. But god, he can feel his fingers twitching. Frankly, at this point, who gives a shit if Diva makes him walk over and strangle that asshole. Goro's trying hard to remember why he went to so much fucking effort to save him. He keeps staring.(edited) Coyote: at 8:48 PM Ye gods above. That look is, in fact, withering. Mishka resists the urge to pick at his fingernails. He can remember exactly what Goro is feeling and understands precisely why he's pissed. He bites his tongue, though. He's not sure what to say here, for once. Are you okay? Well, obviously Goro wasn't, so there wasn't much point in asking that. Fuck it. Nobody's around except him, Hansel, and Goro, and Hansel-- well, Hansel is fine. (Everything is fine. It's fine. He's safe here. Hansel is here.) "Hey, listen," Mishka says. "I'm going to be emotionally honest for about thirty seconds, and then we're all going to pretend this conversation didn't happen. You look fucked up, mate. I feel pretty fucked up, too. You've been in your room all day. Don't go back down there. You're just going to eat yourself alive with your thoughts." If he's anything like Mishka, and Mishka feels like Goro kind of... is, somehow. "Stay up here. Distract yourself. I like you. I'm sorry I did that jackass thing to you right then, I wasn't thinking. Look-- Hansel'll kick me and stop me if I do it again, I have to maintain concentration. Have some turnip stew. Miss Flatflower made it." Like he's luring out a stray cat by offering it a bowl of cream. Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't. Mishka can try again later. Lina: at 8:56 PM "I hate turnips," Goro says. But he doesn't leave. His eyes wander to the door of the captain's quarters. "Is Nixie asleep?" Coyote: at 8:59 PM "Oh yeah. She's straight out as soon as it hits around nine," Mishka says. "But uh, you probably know that, huh." Maybe he can feed Goro something else. Should he feed Goro? What a weird thought. They had other food. Dried rations. It's not his ship, though. He shuffles his cards into the deck. He grabs Hansel's cards and shuffles them in, too. Mishka was losing anyway. He starts dealing out three hands. "You know how to play Dead Man's Ante?" Izzy: at 9:00 PM Hansel smiles slightly at Mishka stealing his winning hand. "We can play for the mask." Coyote: at 9:00 PM "What," Mishka says. Izzy: at 9:01 PM Hansel waves it. "I mean, it's mine now. You wanna chance at getting it back or d'you want me to just keep it?" He looks over to Goro. "What d'you reckon? Good deal?" Lina: at 9:04 PM "Mm." Goro looks back and forth between them again. "I don't know how to play. You'd have to teach me." Coyote: at 9:09 PM God, he can't fucking read this guy. More fun that way, though. A lot more fun. Mishka tries not to smile and does anyway. He glances at Hansel. Ideas: Pretend to teach Goro wrong? Nah, Hansel will stop him or something, who knows. Hansel's not just gonna let him get away with that clean. Fucker. Goro might be lying. He absolutely seems like he's telling the truth, but Mishka always assumes everyone is lying. Would there be a way to hedge his bets? Magic. Any spell options here? No, unless he wanted to dominate Goro again, and, well. Team up with Hansel to cheat and beat Goro? Nah, Hansel will just fuck him somehow. Fuck. He might have to actually... just... honestly play and win. Fuck.(edited) Izzy: at 9:14 PM Hansel gives Mishka a placid smile and then kicks a chair out for Goro, grinning at him.(edited) Lina: at 9:18 PM Still keeping his arms crossed tight, Goro takes the seat. Doesn't bother scooting in closer to the table. He listens to Mishka explain the rules--clearly and honestly, no less. Folds, the first couple rounds. Then bets on a so-so hand the next round, and loses, just to set the tone. Only has a couple cards up his sleeve by the fourth round. Coyote: at 9:24 PM Mishka tries to swap out of the cards he has tucked in his sleeve, but he catches Goro looking at him askance. God fuckin' damn it. He's oddly pleased, though. He doesn't particularly mind being beaten, really. Honestly it's more fun being challenged. Fuckin' Goro, though. If he loses this, fuckin' Goro is going to have the mask.What's Goro going to do with it? That's his. That's Mishka's mask. Maybe Mishka could help Hansel win somehow. That, frankly, would be way preferable. Izzy: at 9:30 PM Hansel tossed down his winning hand. "How 'bout that. Couple of fuckin' cheaters and I still win. Guess there is some justice in the world." He gives Mishka a grin. Coyote: at 9:34 PM "And now you're going to give it back to me, of course," Mishka says. "Because you are such a kind, sweet, fair man. And that's my mask, you know. Stolen property. Legally belongs to me. Mine. Ought to be returned to its owner. Which, again. Is me." He holds out his hand and twitches his fingers at Hansel. "Your captain commands you," he says. Sometimes that used to work. Izzy: at 9:35 PM Hansel snorted. "You ain't been the fuckin' captain in a long time. Good one." Coyote: at 9:40 PM "Look, I'm just going to steal it back the first chance I get. Make it easy on yourself. Surrender my property." Izzy: at 9:41 PM "Nah. I'm good." Hansel spins the mask around one finger by the eye hole. Coyote: at 9:45 PM God fuckin' damn it. Mishka bites his tongue and kicks up his feet on the chair opposite of him. He wants to keep arguing, but arguing is practically flirting with Hansel, and Mishka-- God, Mishka wants to flirt with him again. Wants it to be easy. But Mishka keeps biting his tongue, now the inside of his cheek. He's missed this. It'd feel so easy to just slip back into it. This, he remembers, is about Goro, and making Goro feel better. He'll have to flirt with Hansel later. (No, he knows better than that, god fucking damn it. Cut it out, fucking cut it out.) "Hey," he says to Goro. "Your mother wanted me to give you a message. She says you're a nerd. I'm assuming that's some sort of code?" Lina: at 9:46 PM Goro's been staring into space, fiddling with his last hand of cards. He stirs, and frowns. "My mother?" Coyote: at 9:46 PM "Ah, sorry. You know, I have no clue what's up with you two. Joan." Lina: at 9:47 PM Goro blinks. "Oh." He frowns again, more deeply. "She said I'm a nerd?" Coyote: at 9:47 PM "She said it very affectionately," Mishka says. "Hey, are you alright? Spacing out a bit?" Lina: at 9:48 PM "I'm trying to figure out how to kill her." Goro tosses his cards on the table. Coyote: at 9:51 PM Mishka sobers. He leans back in his chair. He wishes he had some of that sweet black cherry merlot. That was good. He didn't want any, but maybe Goro and Hansel could use it. Goro only seemed to drink... sometimes? Mishka hadn't figured out the pattern yet. "Friend, it's night," he says. "Plot matricide later. Have you eaten anything today?" Lina: at 9:52 PM "I'm not hungry." Coyote: at 9:56 PM Mmm. Hm. Ideas: Hansel seemed to have acquired this habit of sort've picking people up like stray animals. Maybe he'd be willing to help here. Could he have Hansel toss Goro over his shoulder and drag him to the kitchen? Nah, that seemed unnecessary. Funny, though. Might be worth it. Maybe he ought to just go get some food and bring it back here. Seemed easiest. Hansel could keep him from escaping in the meantime. Mishka wasn't concerned, it was just that, well, he ought to ingratiate himself to his allies, and pretending to like Goro could help with that. Right? Kid ought to eat. Sugar seemed to like him. Mishka liked that. Seemed... nice. "Hey," Mishka said in orcish to Hansel. (He thought about using elvish, but Goro probably spoke elvish. Wasn't sure about orcish, but it was worth a shot.) "I'll go get some food. Want to hold him down for me? I'll be back in a minute." Izzy: at 9:59 PM "Try harder to act suspicious, for fuck's sake, Mishka," Hansel called after him. To Goro, he said, "I'm supposed to hold you down. I won't." Coyote: at 10:00 PM "Metaphorically," Mishka says. "I meant metaphorically." Lina: at 10:00 PM Goro sighs heavily and doesn't move. Coyote: at 10:01 PM "Well, fuck it," Mishka says. "He's too apathetic to fight it. Wanna just drag him to the kitchen?" Lina: at 10:02 PM Goro stands up and shoves his chair in, almost knocking it over. He walks to the kitchen himself. Izzy: at 10:09 PM Hansel stands behind Goro to trail him the the kitchen, putting a hand on his shoulder -- lightly -- intending to make him pause but not insisting on it. Lina: at 10:11 PM Goro flinches but resists the urge to duck away from the touch. It's not a harsh touch. He stops and looks back at Hansel, biting his tongue. Izzy: at 10:12 PM "Sugar's been making sure you eat, right?" he asks quietly. Lina: at 10:18 PM "Mm. Why's everyone so concerned with the state of my stomach lately? I've been eating. I just..." He looks straight ahead. Fuck. Fuck, he's so tired. What's Ripley been eating? That's a good question. Do they need to eat? Mishka would know. Goro could ask. Would it make him feel better or worse, to know? "Fuck. It's so hard." God damn it. He bites his tongue again. How'd that slip out? Izzy: at 10:23 PM Hansel nodds. "Yeah. I know. Look, none of us know how to take care of what happened in your head. But we can help take care of your body. So let us fuckin' do that, all right." He drops his hand away -- he hadn't been oblivious to the fact that Goro didn't like it, and that was perfectly fair. Maybe they'd get there. He moves on towards the kitchen, half hoping and half assuming that Goro will follow him.(edited) Lina: at 10:26 PM Goro followed, partly so he could explain himself. "No. No. It's hard because... god fucking damn it. Can I just go kill her right now? You think I could take her? Ha, ha, ha." Izzy: at 10:27 PM "You gotta stop doing that fucking laugh, man. You're not fooling anyone." He gave Goro an incredulous look. "And no. You can't take her. For fuck's sake." Lina: at 10:29 PM Goro goes straight for the stew pot, slops a ladleful of cold stew in a bowl, and picks up a spoon. He shoves a hunk of potato in his mouth. Says something completely incoherent with his mouth full. Izzy: at 10:29 PM "I know Amari taught you better fuckin' manners than that, goddamn." Lina: at 10:31 PM "She's waiting for us." He shovels a few more mouthfuls in, but chews and swallows them before speaking. "And we're just sitting around playing cards. And eating stew. Oh god, I'm gonna throw up." He sets the bowl on the counter and presses a hand to his mouth. Coyote: at 10:35 PM Mishka sits down, because he's not sure what else to do. He kind of wants to touch Goro on the shoulder again, because Goro seemed oddly flattered by that sometimes, but he couldn't talk himself into doing it. Freaked him out too much. Better to just stay over here. "Hey," he says. "You know, Ripley told me when she's upset, she pretends to be a rock. Don't know if that's useful to you or not, I thought it was fucking bizarre. Anyway, she also told me this thing about-- counting seven seconds breathing in, then seven seconds breathing out? That one worked for me." Izzy: at 10:41 PM Alternately -- Hansel grabbed hastily for the kitchen trash and held it out in front of Goro, automatically putting his other hand on his shoulder again before snapping it back. Lina: at 10:46 PM Goro reaches for Hansel's retreating hand, like it's some kind of lifeline, and winds up awkwardly grabbing the guy's forearm. With his other hand he takes the trash bin and sticks his face in it. He gags, mostly because it smells bad. Ripley must've told Mishka that while they were... possessed. Damn, that woman was terrifying. Was she even capable of feeling fear? What a joke, that people said she was his mother. He'd kill for genes like those. Slowly, he sets the trash on the floor. And realizes he's still clinging to Hansel's arm. He releases it, keeping his eyes down. "Uh, it's good stew, Hansel." Izzy: at 10:51 PM "Yeah, really seems like it, thanks." He keeps his tone light, trying not to seem too pleased that Goro had grabbed for him. "Listen, we're all bone fucking tired. Ripley wouldn't want us to go after her in this fuckin' state. You know that, right?" Lina: at 11:03 PM "She'd knock me out if I refused to sleep," Goro agrees. He tosses his bowl in the sink and heads for the door, pauses, and makes himself look Hansel and Mishka both head on. "Thanks for the, uh... for the game." There's really nothing more he can think to say. If he tries to smile, it'll look creepy. He heads back up to the main deck. He glances every which way as he approaches the door to the captain's quarters, making sure Hansel and Mishka aren't right behind, and no one else is lurking on deck. He scrambles to unlock the door, checks for anyone spying on him one last time, and slips inside. END Category:Text Roleplay